UK/EU fees

International fees

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An English and Politics degree will enhance your understanding of the world around you in a thought-provoking, innovative way.

Studying English asks you to embrace new ways of thinking about the world and new possibilities of expression. Studying Politics invites you to engage with a vast spectrum of political issues and problems. Studying the two subjects together asks how literature and politics work to shape the world. You will graduate with skills highly prized by employers across a wide range of industries.

You can discover more about the Department of English and Related Literature’s exciting degree programmes by watching our video.

Top-rated departments

The Department of English and Related Literature is ranked second overall and the Department of Politics is eighth overall in the UK for the quality of their research (REF 2014).

Distinguished visiting speakers

Both departments host speaker series where high-profile academics, campaigners, journalists, politicians, and writers share their experience, insights, and cutting-edge research.

Taught by experts

The Department of Politics staff advise governments on a wide range of issues and contribute to news, media, and current affairs programmes globally. English courses are designed and taught by world experts who are at the forefront of current research.”

I chose to study in English and Politics because I'm really interested in the political context of novels and in the modes of language used in politics. Studying English and Politics here lets you combine so many interesting modules! Studying two disciplines has widened my perspectives and gives me even more freedom over what I study.

Livvie
BA English/Politics

Course content

You’ll cover an extraordinary range of literature and politics in this degree, from the medieval period to the 21st century and from around the world.

All combined course students take 120 credits each year, adding up to 360 credits across the course of your degree. You’ll split your time equally between English and Politics in your first year. You may choose to weight your degree towards one subject or the other over the course of Years Two and Three, but you must take at least one English and one Politics module in each year, as well as the bridge elements.

NB: This information reflects the current course content and structure, which may be revised from year to year.

Study abroad

We are proud of our international outlook. If you’re also interested in studying abroad, there are a number of options both in the English-speaking world and in Europe.

Year 1

In the first year of your degree, we’ll introduce you to the undergraduate study of English and Politics. Our modules will give you the skills you need to start doing literary and political research, and advice on how to combine the two disciplines.

As an English/Politics student, you will take the following three modules in English, which are worth 20 credits each. These modules are designed to lay the foundation of literary study for your whole degree.

Approaches to Literature I: Writing Modernity (Autumn) and Approaches to Literature II: Other Worlds (Spring) - Get a feel for the shape of literary history by studying works from the medieval, early modern, eighteenth-century and Romantic, and modern periods.

Key Concepts: An Introduction to Genre, Theory, and Writing - A year-long foundation module that provides you with important critical and methodological contexts for the study of literature, as well as an introduction to rhetoric and writing. In addition, you will be introduced to strategies for developing essay-writing skills, engaging with criticism and critical theory, and revising work to improve its fluency and persuasiveness, as part of the English Department’s innovative Writing at York provision.

You will also take two modules in Politics, which are worth 30 credits each:

Academic integrity module

This module covers some of the essential skills and knowledge which will help you to study independently and produce work of a high academic standard which is vital for success at York.

This module will:

define academic integrity and academic misconduct

explain why and when you should reference source material and other people's work

provide interactive exercises to help you to assess whether you've understood the concepts

provide answers to FAQs and links to useful resources.

Year 2

In the second year of your degree, you’ll choose from a range of intermediate modules across the English and Politics departments.

English/Politics students choose from the same English options as our single subject students. These include our World Literature offerings, our Topic Modules, and Critical Practice, as well as our Intermediate Option Modules:

The Shock of the New: Medieval Literature

The Renaissance; Inventing Britain, 1700-1830

Victorians: British Literature, 1837-1901

Age of Extremes: Twentieth-Century British and Irish Literature

American Literature: From the First World War to the End of Empire.

English/Politics students also choose from the same Politics options as single subject students in Year Two. Topics may include:

Contemporary Political Philosophy

Foundations of International Thought

Human Rights and Wrongs in a Globalised World

Politics in the United Kingdom

State, Economy, and Society

The European Union: Politics and Policies

The Politics of Development

US National Security after the Cold War

War and Peace.

Year 3

In the third year of your degree, you will choose from our Advanced Option Modules in English. In addition, you will take the bridge module, Politics and the Novel, designed specifically for your degree pathway and typically taught by a member of staff from each department. This module is the cornerstone of your combined course programme; it will provide you with a range of critical and analytical skills, and will highlight the possibilities offered by studying two disciplines.

You will also undertake a Bridge Dissertation, one of the distinctive features of the English/Politics degree at York. The Bridge Dissertation invites you to undertake a research project that brings the study of English and Politics together, and is supervised by a member of staff in each department. This year-long advanced module offers you the chance to use all the research and writing skills you will have developed at York.

Please note, modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff.

Learning by design

Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Students who complete this course will be able to:

Engage, understand and identify the origins, evolution and contemporary dynamics of politics, including being able to apply this knowledge to addressing real world problems in areas like democracy, government, immigration, elections, human rights, and the environment.

Read diverse texts, especially literary texts, closely and critically, interpreting them with reference to the period, place, language, and tradition in which they were produced and where they have cultural and political impact.

Apply different theoretical perspectives, methods, and concepts to aspects of politics and literary studies, as well as the intersection of the two disciplines. This will enable intellectual reasoning and systematic empirical testing to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in politics, and the use of intellectual interpretive methods and critical argumentation skills in literary studies.

Conduct independent interdisciplinary research by: conceiving and operationalising research questions; selecting and justifying the use of appropriate theories and concepts; establishing a suitable corpus of primary texts; gathering and interpreting data; synthesizing second sources; arriving at appropriate and justified conclusions.

Lead groups and collaborate with others to achieve collective goals, including via group work and projects, problem-based exercises, and presentations.

Explain and demonstrate to academic and other audiences the application of political and literary theory to important international, regional, national, and local problems and issues. This will include an ability to communicate the benefits of combining politics and the study of literature via advanced oral communication skills.

Act and communicate as a global citizen by exploring complex political and multicultural contexts. This will include an ability to foster and examine global ethics and cross-cultural dialogue, as well as promote equality, sustainability, cultural sensitivity, inclusivity, and ethnic and linguistic diversity.

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees

UK/EU

International

£9,250

£16,620

Additional costs

You'll need copies of the texts set for each module. Where possible, the Department works to arrange digital copies via the University Library. Where this is not practical, you'll be instructed in advance of the start of each term about the texts and editions you'll need to purchase (whether new or second-hand).

UK/EU or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK, EU or international student.

Fees for subsequent years

UK/EU: further increases within the government fee cap will apply in subsequent academic years. We will notify you of any increase as soon as we can.

International: fees for international students are subject to annual increases. Increases are currently capped at 2% per annum.

More information

For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.

Funding

We offer a number of scholarships to help cover tuition fees and living costs.

Living costs

You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers accommodation costs and estimated social costs.

Teaching and assessment

You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Teaching format

In English, you’ll learn through a programme of seminars, lectures, workshops, and one-to-one consultations. We emphasize small-group teaching, which means you’ll mainly be taught in seminars.

In Politics, you’ll also learn through a combination of seminars, lectures, workshops, and one-to-ones. We offer a personal approach to learning with much of our teaching conducted in small groups (typically under 15 students in a seminar group). Our staff are very approachable and our doors are always open.

York’s English and Politics degree is renowned for its flexible and innovative approach.

You can typically expect eight contact hours per week – and sometimes more. There are also numerous opportunities for informal contact.

Our cutting-edge research informs all our teaching activities.

Our friendly, approachable, and accessible staff are world-leading experts in their fields. They are each available to meet individually with you during two weekly open office hours.

The English Department’s unique writing provision, designed and taught by specialist tutors, forms a practical spine for the degree, preparing you to communicate clearly and confidently on a rich variety of topics and to any audience

Overall workload

As a guide, students on this course typically spend their time as follows:

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Lectures and seminars

216 hours

168 hours

168 hours

The figures above are based on data from 2016/17.

The rest of your time on the course will be spent on independent study. This may include preparation for lectures and seminars, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.

Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours will vary from person to person. In UK higher education the expectation is that full-time students will spend 1200 hours a year learning.

Teaching location

You will be based in the Department of English and Related Literature and the Department of Politics on Campus West

Your contact hours will be divided between Derwent College, the Spring Lane Building, and other locations nearby on Campus West.

Course location

Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.

Assessment and feedback

The Department of English and Related Literature employs a variety of assessment methods, including group presentations and closed exams, but with a strong emphasis on essay writing. Your main mode of assessment will be essays, which will range from short exploratory exercises to more detailed discussions on a topic of your choice, to the 8,000-10,000-word bridge dissertation in your final year. We offer high levels of feedback and ample opportunities for you to meet with staff to discuss your written work.

Assessment in the Department of Politics varies from module to module and includes a combination of exams, written essays, and project work. Your tutors will give you feedback in a variety of forms depending on the specific needs of the module. This may consist of written feedback, in-class discussion, model answers, one-to-one discussions, or online responses.

Percentage of the course typically assessed by coursework and exams

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Written exams

32%

30%

0%

Coursework

55%

70%

100%

Practical exams

13%

0%

0%

The figures above are based on data from 2016/17.

Careers and skills

Studying English and Politics at York will provide you with numerous career possibilities. You’ll learn presentation, language, and critical thinking skills during your combined degree, and gain expertise in complex analysis and research. These skills suit a wide range of careers, from law and teaching to national and local government and the creative industries.

Applying

Normally, only mature candidates and those with special circumstances and/or qualifications will have an interview. Interviews will usually be a half-hour conversation about your interests. We’ll also ask you to bring along some of your recent essays.